


Picking Up Puppy

by Tobyaudax



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Relationship, puppy, puppy as an unwitting therapist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:57:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14596509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobyaudax/pseuds/Tobyaudax
Summary: Leonard was just going to pick up the dog, surprise Barry and bask in the inevitable gushing. Another plan doesn't exactly go according to.





	Picking Up Puppy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blue_wonderer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wonderer/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Good in You (the Bad in Me)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974396) by [blue_wonderer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wonderer/pseuds/blue_wonderer). 



> This is another gift fic for [Blue's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wonderer/pseuds/blue_wonderer) absolutely amazing story [The Good in You (the Bad in Me)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974396/chapters/24435561). If you haven't read it, this isn't going to make a ton of sense. ...Also? What the hell, pally? **Go read that amazing fic!!**
> 
> Takes place juuuuust before the events at the end of [chapter six](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974396/chapters/26292483). Go ahead and re-read that, first. And leave a comment because Blue is amazing.
> 
> The rather lame title here was inspired by the utterly unrelated film "Bringing Up Baby", from 1938.

"What d'you mean, 'no'?"

"No just means no, Snart," Mick replies, sniffing indignantly. "I ain't gonna do it an' you're not gonna talk me into it."

"How about I threaten you into it." Leonard suggests, head tilted and arms crossed, a deceptive picture of calm. Except that Mick has so often seen right through him- this time is no exception.

"Threaten me with what, exactly? Gonna cheat me outta more Fires?"

Leonard sighs, the sound loud and long-suffering. He almost deflates and lets his shoulders slump, but decides that would be too much. He knows Mick's still mad about missing Barry's various "accidental" pyrotechnics, but he didn't think his old friend would be so petty about it.

"It's a simple job, Mick," Leonard snaps, his annoyance slipping free. "You know I don't drive."

"You drive. You just don't like to."

"And you know why. So you're going to take the truck I graciously already stole, do this _one_ thing-"

"And miss another fire. 'Cause every damn time I run your little errands for you, every time Kit's outta my sight, he's startin' Fires!"

"Then why are you here with me instead of camped out on his fire escape." Leonard raises an eyebrow in question, delighting in the play of emotions that storm across Mick's face.

Mick stays quiet for a moment, a couple minutes; his jaw works and he's clearly struggling to find words. Leonard tries to wait him out- he has an hour and six minutes before Mick needs to be on the road, so he can afford the argument. He specifically scheduled time to convince Mick to do the driving. When Mick doesn't respond after three minutes, Leonard's patience thins. It frays after five and snaps at the seven minute and twenty-nine seconds mark.

"Can't trust anyone else with this, Mick. Lisa's working her part of the plan. Someone's gotta stay here, keep an eye on- Central." He almost says "Barry", but that's a little too telling, too early to admit. Even though Mick and Lisa both know it. The job's for Barry, after all.

Mick grins at him, once again catching the thing Leonard was barely trying to keep out of it. "You can trust yourself. Hell, bet you trust you over me, somethin' this important. Best if you see to it personally."

"I. Don't. Drive."

"You got that bike-"

"A dog and supplies for said dog will _not_ fit in the sidecar."

Mick beams and Leonard knows he won't like what's said next. "Heard there's a nice, stolen truck outside, ready to go- use that."

Leonard can feel a headache forming behind his eyes but keeps his arms crossed; fingers gripping his biceps tight enough to bruise. " _Mick_ -"

"Drive the fuckin' car." Mick steps into Leonard's space to jab a finger at his chest. "Pick up the fuckin' dog." He points outside the warehouse with his other hand. "Make your boy happy. Whole thing's your idea anyway."

It's not the first time and hasn't happened with anything resembling frequency; it probably won't be the last time either, but Leonard reluctantly acquiesces in the face of Mick's staunch refusal to leave Central City for even a few hours. Mick's right about one thing- it is Len's plan. And even though Barry doesn't- and will never- know just how much Len hates driving vehicles larger than his bike, it's a pretty grand gesture. Not to mention Leonard doesn't really want to share any of the credit he'll get for this.

He's already bought the supplies- he called the rehab place a week ago to find out what the dog will need and to set up the pick-up time- and they're already loaded into the truck. Twenty minutes after Mick's refusal, Leonard stomps out of the warehouse and gets into the truck, slamming the door and viciously stabbing the seatbelt into place. He sits in the driver's seat, taking several seconds to adjust to being on that side of the vehicle. He's driven more since running into Barry than he has in years, so he holds onto that thought as he starts the engine and pulls away from the abandoned storage buildings.

The trip out past Keystone is uneventful, almost pleasant, but Leonard still lets out a sigh of relief when he parks at the facility where the dogs from that fateful heist are being rehabilitated. He stays in the truck another minute to completely compose himself, then heads inside to pick Blue up. He's early by twenty-one minutes, but the staff don't mind. They chalk it up to excitement, letting him know how cute it is that he's doing this for his boyfriend. Leonard doesn't see fit to correct any of them- every single person in the rehab center knows Barry, but only a select few know the hand he and Leonard played in getting the dogs where they are now. Those people are mostly avoided- Leonard isn't used to gratitude and finds the tears, kind words and attempts at hugs from them deeply uncomfortable.

Papers are signed, Blue is bid farewell- of course she's the darling of the facility; nothing but the best for Barry- and loaded into her carrier inside the truck cab without incident. It's an hour and twelve minute drive, non-stop, to return to Central. But he'll have to stop at least once to let Blue move around and use the outdoors as her personal bathroom. Part of the stretch of highway doesn't get radio signal- well, the only stations that come in are country music or religious shouting- and the silence is comfortable, at first. Blue seems to be asleep and has reportedly ridden very well in cars before.

So Leonard is talking to himself when he says, "M'not a dog person."

He's greeted with expected silence and lets out a quiet chuckle. "You're not staying with me, so I don't have to be. You're gonna live with Barry- you n'me are gonna see as little of each other as possible."

The wind howls by the open slivers of both windows- he was told to give Blue fresh air over the AC- and Leonard settles back into the quiet. He knows from the trip out that it'll be another thirty-three minutes before the radio will access decent stations again. Blue makes a quiet, chuffing noise from the carrier, moves around enough to jostle it from where it rests in the passenger footwell.

"Don't have anything against dogs," Leonard feels compelled to talk, to correct his earlier comments. "Never had one, growing up." He tilts his head, acknowledging, "Ever. Not sure what the point is."

At the sound of his voice, the crate stills. Five minutes pass along with the dull, empty scenery outside. Leonard can appreciate that the truck moves noticeably faster than his bike, but doesn't let the expanse of flat asphalt ahead lull him into any kind of comfort. As always, he needs to stay alert. More movement from the carrier almost pulls his eyes from the road, but he maintains his focus.

He speaks again because it seemed to calm the dog the first time. "Barry likes you." Leonard almost laughs- that is such an understatement. "He loves you," he amends, quietly, almost fondly.

Leonard's not unfamiliar with the concept, with the emotion. He loves Lisa, after all. He might even, some day, under duress or threat, admit that he loves Mick, too. He loves the thrill of planning and executing his jobs, of pulling one over on the cops. It feels weird, though, to say the word out loud. Especially about Barry. …And to a dog. But it's out there and something of a relief; the admission feels a lot like an ice breaker and maybe if he just pretends he's talking to himself, he can work through the crazy, new adventure his life is becoming.

The next twenty-seven minutes of radio silence are filled with talk of Barry, mostly. He recounts their first meeting with a smile, detailing Lisa's involvement and then sidetracking himself by talking about his little sister. He expresses his lingering concern regarding Barry and Lisa's road trip a few months back, the one that disrupted the "death cult" in Texas. Len had done some research of his own, using the scant details he was able to bribe from Lisa and sneak out of Barry, and so far, has come up empty. He says he wants to believe it's not a threat, but he didn't witness the event personally, and so can't be sure.

"Gotta look out for yourself, first," he says with a decisive nod. "That way you can protect what's yours."

That piece of advice leads back to Barry. He grins as he talks about the deal Barry convinced him to take, noting with a strange combination of concern and glee the way Barry had fallen over and injured himself, but still threatened Leonard with a spoon and dishtowel. And Leonard might wax a little poetic about things like Barry's eye and hair colour- "sometimes, they're just hazel. When you get him excited, get him talking about chemistry or a case he's worked, they light up greener than spring grass" and "I thought chocolate, once. Chestnut's a better fit". But there are no human ears present to rat him out later.

"Mick says he's still mad," Leonard sighs, averting his eyes when Blue squats on a patch of grass outside the truck stop, keeping her at the edge of his peripheral vision. "Not in so many words- Mick doesn't do feelings. He'll get over it. The rate Barry's going, another fire'll spring up in no time."

They sit in the bed of the truck and split a bottle of water; Blue getting hers in the bowl he bought her and Leonard drinking the rest. She wines and paws his thigh as he eats a strip of jerky, but he doesn't give in to the damp, soulful eyes, no matter how much they remind him of Barry. He doesn't want to have to clean up after her at the next stop.

When they're ready to hit the road again, Leonard re-positions the carrier up on the passenger seat, making sure the opening faces him before securely strapping it in place. The radio isn't turned on for the duration of the trip. Back on the highway, he starts to tell Blue more about Mick; when and how they met and some of the more pleasant things they've done over the years. He pauses the story of when he introduced Mick to Lisa and glances quickly over at the carrier, averting his eyes immediately to the side mirror to cover the action.

"Talking to a dog," he states, shaking his head in mild disbelief (though it's a little too late for that). "They'd never lemme live down something this stupid."

Not a minute later he explains that "they" encompasses Mick, Lisa _and_ Barry; though he admits that Barry would find the whole exchange charming rather than embarrassing. He's pretty sure, anyway. And, since he brought Barry up again, he lets Blue in on the secret that she's his birthday present. Sure, Barry's birthday was months ago, but Len didn't really know him then. He considers telling the puppy that he wanted to make sure he got Barry the best present, because even though he'll never say so, other people's birthdays are important. But that particular bit of information feels too heavy even for a dog who'll never give him up.

The cityscape looms ahead of him, suddenly, and he catches a sign- CENTRAL CITY  7- registering with a kernel of regret that his time with Blue is growing short. He sends another quick glance her way, making sure to check the mirror again, just in case, and smiles. Leonard thinks he might understand, now, why people get dogs.

When he pulls into the park, he's still early to meet Lisa- only nine minutes instead of his planned fifteen- so he uses that precious time to crouch down and level Blue with a stern, serious look.

"We both know you're not talking- now or ever," he says, gesturing between them. He has to pick her up when she goes for his boot laces, her attention lost at the prospect of something to cram into her mouth. "Hey. Look at-. You're not gonna talk- you can't. All of that on the road? Stays between us. You're not even gonna _hint_ at that stuff to Barry, got it?"

Blue tilts her head and it's so alarmingly like the move Leonard has employed over the years that he snorts out a laugh before he can stop himself. Blue wiggles in his hands, legs working like she's swimming in mid-air and against his better judgment, he brings her a little closer. Her tongue shoots out, licking a stripe up the side of his nose and Leonard winces, tucking her under one arm to scrub the sleeve of his jacket hard across his face. He swears the little grunts that escape her are the dog version of laughter, but he's out of time to glare at her. Lisa will arrive any second, so he puts the puppy back on the ground, double checking the harness he put on her at the first stop (collars remind him too much of handcuffs. He did buy one, for Barry, if he wants, but there was no way Leonard was going to use it). It's the excuse he has ready when Lisa comes into view, dragging the old cooler behind and hauling the sack of food with her.

Once he's sure Lisa will keep Blue in her sights the entire time he's gone, Leonard sets off to track Barry down and give him his birthday present. He only looks back once; to check on Lisa, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I forgot to add this earlier, was so excited to post it and have Blue read.
> 
> I noticed that, in both The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, Len never drives a vehicle other than his motorcycle. No one ever points this out in-show. I've read a few fics that postulate a reason, but didn't want to offer my own explanation here.
> 
> I didn't want to go off on a tangent, away from the cute parts of this story, but I did want to acknowledge the driving thing. That's it- sorry if it's disappointing!


End file.
